My strap broke in the middle of my wedding reception. Months ahead of time during my second fitting…read morethe strap popped out and I raised it as a concern. I tried several times to discuss it with Pure Magnolia to find a solution. The only responses I got were things like "no, the straps can't be stretchy" or "there is nothing else we can do". I asked to take the dress home and wear it for an hour to make sure the strap would hold and they said no. In the end, exactly what I worried about is what happened. If you fall in love with one of their samples then Pure Magnolia could be a great option for you. If there is anything you want customised I would be very careful and detailed with your instructions, and it's best if you know a little bit about dressmaking yourself. I requested a couple of custom elements and had a lot of difficulty after the shop committed to making my dress. When I paid the deposit 9 months ahead of the wedding I was told that as long as my body didn't change significantly there would be no problem putting the dress together over several fittings, with the final fitting (a few weeks before the wedding) being the time to make the final adjustments and take the dress in as needed. I had no changes other than very normal minor fluctuations/bloating between fittings but there were a lot of challenges with the sizing. In terms of staff, the shop admitted themselves that they have had turnover due to maternity coverage, they use interns, and also sometimes have trouble with communication between the sales team and the main seamstress who speaks English as a second language. As an example, at one fitting the waist was bunching so the owner pinned it to be adjusted. When I returned the next time the seam was visibly crooked and looked even worse than it had been before. It took several extra fittings plus me spending half a day in the shop with the seamstress to get the dress finished (with extra charges). The bust line was gaping a little at the top and when I asked for it to be taken in I was told they couldn't do anything and that I would have to use fashion tape to stick it down. I had to ask two more times, pinch it between my fingers and show them where I wanted it taken in before they finally did it. The custom back I requested looked sloppy with the scalloped lace and had to be changed to a folded seam because they couldn't execute the design I originally wanted. My biggest disappointment after all the time spent trying to get my dress right was the strap breaking on my wedding day. When I emailed the shop owner to ask for the seamstress to fix the straps, the response I got was unapologetic, i.e. "I don't know what more you could expect. She [the seamstress] made them [the straps] exactly the length that you requested, and secured them as best she could as we always do". I had to go back in to have the straps re-attached but since there was no give, they stretched out again when I wore the dress a second time.

I contemplated for a while whether I should write this or not. Eventually I decided that I'd want…read moreto know this before making a decision so...here it is. I rented a dress from Pure Magnolia for my wedding. The dress really was beautiful, but it just didn't fit me right. I brought up my concerns to Pati the owner and she pretty much said that there is nothing we can do about it since they had to bring the dress down 8 sizes, and that it fits perfectly "except around the bust". Now here's the thing...this was my first time buying a wedding dress. If the dress was not going to fit me, I would have no clue (until it was too late unfortunately). I'm already pretty self conscious about my bust and the dress not fitting there really made me uncomfortable. I wish I could say it was just something I noticed, but two different people actually whispered in my ear to fix my dress top during the wedding :\ Maybe my experience would have been better if I had bought the dress instead. One thing I will say though is that I bought a veil from here as well which was absolutely stunning.

I had the great pleasure of accompanying my soon to be daughter in law when she had her wedding…read moredress made at Sew Sweet Rose Bridal. She had the designed the dress and Cinda made it into reality. They draped lace after lace over the bride to be to be until she found the one that she loved. They took exact measurements, drew a sketch and made our bride to be the dress of her dreams! Our Bride was happy and comfortable wearing the dress she designed and looking so beautiful. It was the second time I had this pleasure as my daughter had her wedding dress made by Cinda as well. The two dresses couldn't have been more different and both were so lovely. As with the first time Cinda made a small suggestion that really added to the dress! Thank you to Cinda and her assistants. You are treasures!

This is a lovely little store tucked away on "Bridal Row" on Columbia Street. The store is small…read moreand cozy with one side for bridal dresses, the other side for long prom/bridesmaid-type dresses, and there's a little middle row in the store for shorter formal dresses including a couple bridal-type varieties. There didn't seem to be a huge selection since again, the store is smaller, but what was there was quite pretty. There were no pushy salesmen/salesladies to deal with here - the woman working at the times I went was very laid back and friendly and totally lets you browse at your own pace. The alterations service is where this store shines though, at least in my case. I'd bought a dress elsewhere and had a really unfortunate experience there with alterations. I brought it in here to see if there was anything to be done to fix up the damage, and the woman mentioned before immediately knew what to do to get the dress looking better. My only regret was not taking the dress to be altered here in the first place because she really did a great job in repairs. While I didn't need this particular service at the time, they do offer custom dresses as well. I actually got a peek at a dress in-progress while I was picking up my own and from what I could see the quality was very good. I would definitely come back if I ever needed anything altered again, especially another dress. I overall loved the relaxed feel of the store and customer service was excellent. This is certainly a place to at least take a look-see if you're in need of bridal dresses, formal wear, or alterations.

If I could give 100 stars I would! I am SO happy with how my dress turned out. After losing about…read more30 pounds after buying my dress and before my wedding, I needed it taken in, hemmed and a bustle added. I also asked that a blue heart be sewn on the inside of my dress. Everything turned out perfectly! The craftsmanship and kindness I experienced was perfection. I would go back here a hundred times! Thank you so much!! - Shannon

Yelena was amazing I took in my wedding dress that I had ordered online. The dress was way too big…read moreand I had some ideas that I had wanted to alter and make the dress original and my own. She was incredibly professional and managed to make my dream dress a reality in a promp amount of time. I highly recommend and truly I can't wait to wear for my special day I highly recommend Yelena she will make your dress alterations perfectly. I am satisfied and so very happy ! Thank you Yelena

Fatima, you are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! You are a multi-talented artist, with ideas and know-how: you can…read more'adapt' an outfit from something old which didn't fit anymore into the a new, most beautiful, greatly adequate outfit which besides being a pleasure to wear again, will always be noticed and commented by others. Your quality of work is impeccable. Ladies, try her ... you will be super happy, I guarantee it. ingrid

Fatima does very nice work, if a tad pricy. One word of caution: do NOT leave your good hangers…read morewith her. I recently brought in a suit for alteration, and was about to remove it from its beautiful wooden hangers imprinted with the name of the suit, and take the hangers home. No, said Fatima, leave the suit on the hangers. When I picked up my suit, it was returned to me on a wire hanger and a ratty old pant hanger. When I asked Fatima where my wooden hangers were, pointing to the label on the suit, I got no response. She just thrust my suit on its wire hanger towards me. I asked if my hangers were in the back, but again, no response. I feel it was irresponsible and unbusinesslike of Fatima to insist a customer leave her good hangers if she had no intention of keeping track of them and returning them to the owner.

I waited 3 months for my special ordered dress to come. When it arrived, it was too big (I have…read morenot lost nor gained weight) and needed a lot of alterations. The alterations were almost $400 and when the dress came back from being altered, it was still not right - gaping under the arms, shoulder straps still too long, and way too big up top (I couldn't fill up the space even if the dress allowed me to wear a bra and I stuffed it). The seamstress only works Saturdays, and with only 11 days to the wedding by the time it came back into the store 5 weeks later, there was no time to get her to make it right. She was also visibly frustrated that I was unhappy, so she is not very accommodating nor sympathetic to my being upset at the state of the dress. The dress itself was beautiful and well-priced, so I give the store credit for having lots of options to choose from. Just beware that if your dress needs to be ordered (not off the rack), you will very likely need to get it altered so allow budget and time for that too.

Amazing dresses and customer service. I found many different styles for reasonable prices…read more Highly recommend!

I recently purchased my wedding dress off the rack from Lisa's and I had a great experience. The…read moreother reviews here seem quite outdated and the staff at Lisa's were very kind and professional during my visits. At my first appointment, I got to try on a variety of dresses and my bridal consultant Tatiane had pulled several dresses for me ahead of time based on my preferences. She also offered a lot of helpful feedback and tips of what to look for in a dress and what modifications can be made. I'm very indecisive and I felt that Tatiane did an excellent job of guiding me towards finding my ideal dress. Communication after my appointment was also very prompt when I requested more information about the dresses I liked. When I finally decided on my dress, Tatiane was kind enough to put it on hold until my appointment to go try it again. Overall I enjoyed my experience at Lisa's. I especially liked the large variety of dresses they carry and I'm very happy to have found my dress off the rack so I don't have to worry about ordering. Hopefully the alterations go smoothly as well!

Yesterday I was in new Westminster with a friend and my fiancé, visiting the food truck festival…read more We walked by Lisa's Bridal Salon, which prompted me to exclaim how much I hate that place. In 2002, I made the biggest mistake of my life: I got married. (I have since gotten a divorce.) I was young and stupid, and it being my first wedding, I was doing all the traditional wedding things, such as wedding dress shopping. My bridesmaids and I went to New West to start my wedding dress search. We walked into Lisa's Bridal Salon, which was empty, and were met with disgust and distain, and told with a snotty attitude that we needed an appointment. (Uh, what's wrong with walking in TO make an appointment?!) We told the rude woman that we were looking for wedding dresses, and the second she heard the word "wedding", she treated us like royalty. We booked an appointment and came back an hour or so later. When we arrived, the store was still empty except for a couple of teenagers (who were in no way being obnoxious) finishing up with their prom dress purchases. When they left, the woman made a rude comment about them (I no longer remember what, but I recall the incident). Clearly she had no respect for customers, unless they were purchasing wedding dresses, which was the reason why we were treated so shabbily when we initially walked in -- she assumed we were teenagers wanting to purchase a $300 prom dress instead of a $3000 wedding dress. Anyway, not only were the dresses quite expensive, but they were ugly. There wasn't one dress that appealed to me, and when I told the woman what I was looking for/what style I liked, she pressured me to try on dresses I had no interest in (back then, as a kid barely out of high school with no self-esteem, I wasn't very assertive). She also barged in on me as I was changing, and forced an ugly dress on me, scratching my arms with all the gaudy beading adorning the dress. So, to summarize, I hate Lisa's because: 1. The employees there were fucking rude, treating their customers like shit unless they were buying a wedding dress. 2. The sales woman I dealt with was pushy and wouldn't listen to my preferences, and didn't respect people's boundaries. 3. The dresses were ugly and very expensive. I didn't buy a dress there, obviously, and instead, I bought a dress from a nearby store, for $400, from a person who didn't treat me like garbage or judge me and make assumptions based on my appearance. Even though this incident happened 16 years ago, I still remember, and I certainly will NOT buy a wedding dress from there for my upcoming wedding in November. [Yelp collections: Rude!]

My husband and I went to Alison at Manuel Mendoza for the alterations to our wedding attire and we…read morecouldn't have been more pleased with the amazing work she does! Neither of us had ever been to a seamstress before, and therefore were very apprehensive about the whole process, but Alison is both personable and professional and left us feeling like our garments were in good hands. And sure enough, upon receiving back out outfits they were perfect! We got so many compliments on our wedding attire, and I give a lot of credit to Alison for making sure they fit us just right :) Her prices are also reasonable and we look forward to using her services again for future alteration needs!

I would not recommend anyone get their alterations done here if you have a wedding gown with lace…read moredetails that you care to keep. I've added photos of the result of their work, since I know that this can all be very subjective. I went to Clara's to get my wedding gown altered. The alterations were to shorten the hem (4 layers of fabric), and to add a 3 point over bustle. I didn't need any other alterations since the dress already fit me pretty well. I dropped off the dress on 4/16/25, and initial pick up was on 6/18/25. Total cost of alterations was around $425. My dress had a lot of lace details all over it, all the way down to the bottom of the dress. My biggest worry in getting the dress shortened was finding a seamstress who knew how to work with lace. I was feeling pretty good about having my dress altered at Clara's since they had 30 years of experience and Carrie had mentioned needing to take time to move all of the lace up, which was the reason alterations would take so long. When I picked up the dress, I was initially satisfied with the length of the dress, but it wasn't until I got home that I noticed that they had cut straight through the lace as a means of hemming the dress. Additionally, I found that the edge itself looked unprofessionally finished to my novice eye, with some edges cut unevenly and a flower applique left at the very edge of the hem. I reached out to Carrie about this, and she claimed that this was the industry standard approach for dresses with lace. When meeting her in person, she went through several other reasons for why the dress was altered the way it was, including: - This is an industry standard approach for hemming dresses with lace. - The small bits were left on in order to preserve as much of the lace as possible. - It's not a scalloped lace hem. The lace cannot be removed because it is integrated, they are not appliques. - Removing the lace has a chance of damaging the tulle layer. - The cut of the hem is supposed to be uneven because that gives it a flowy look. - The fabric is difficult to cut straight, and it was only straight before because it was made in a factory. - There were 5 inches of material that had to be removed, which is a lot of material. - She didn't know she had to tell me before cutting through the lace, as no one else has complained about it in the past. - Her tailor knows best because of all his experience working on wedding dresses, she doesn't even need to tell him what to do so she didn't think to ask about doing something different with the lace. Overall, I felt extremely uncomfortable trying to get a resolution to these issues with her. I mentioned to her about how everyone I asked, including family, friends and internet strangers, said that the work didn't look right and that it looked poorly done, and she told me that none of them knew anything about how the industry actually works. When I asked if I could take it to a different tailor for a second opinion, she told me that it was offensive that I would even suggest that. In the end, she told me that she's the last person who should be running a business because she cares too much about her brides, and that she felt disrespected and insulted that I would challenge their work when they have over 30 years of experience. I will say that Carrie was extremely responsive throughout this entire process, as frustrating as it was. I do appreciate that from her as I know other places have frequently taken much longer to get back to me about inquiries. She was willing to try to the best of her ability to resolve the situation, and was able to remove some of the small applique pieces that were left over as well as adding some of the cut off lace appliques back on. She also apologized for not knowing she had to tell me before cutting the lace, and created a new handout that goes over how they approaching hemming dresses with lace. I don't agree that what's described on it matches what they did, but I've added a photo of this handout as well so that you can judge for yourself.

I was immediately impressed by the selection this shop has for wedding gowns. As this was my first…read morestore I had gone to in search of that perfect gown. I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for, but the sales person (whom I'm assuming is the owner) made some great selections for me to try on. I am a size 10-12, and once I tried on a ten that was too snug she was quite brash about making comments about how much weight I planned on losing and kept suggesting that maybe I NEEDED to lose the weight. I left that shop feeling so low about myself and continued to have terrible self esteem issues about looking too fat in my wedding dress. I will point out that she does carry BEAUTIFUL gowns. However I later went and purchased a dress at Sposa Wedding World, Feeling GREAT about who I was, my dress and my curves!